The first video game I truly fell in love with was Bendy and the Ink Machine, a horror game that terrified me, but was one of the best things I had ever seen; it fascinated me and I couldn’t seem to stop marveling over it. Video games have had a massive impact on my life since, drawing me in and letting me watch worlds be built from pixels on a screen; however, I am not the only video-game enjoyer out there. Students play video games all the time, on consoles and PC’s; but do they impact the students’ mental health for the better or worse?
Video games help me relax after school, and often help take the edge off of a rough or particularly annoying day; overall, they have had a positive impact on my mental health and provide a good outlet for my stress. Other students also use video games to unwind. “Video games give me something to stay occupied,” Elinor Coutermarsh, class of ‘26 said, “and they also can give me a creative outlet to express myself.”
However, video games are a double edged sword. “The games you play can affect your mood, like when I play games with my siblings, I tend to be upset or mad at losing, and when I play Minecraft, I feel good at what I accomplish,” Coutermarsh said.
Hollis Brookline High School Psychologist Dr. Eric Penniman backs this idea up, “I know that there have been a lot of studies that show that the type of video game correlates with mental health. For example, research has shown that violent video games increase aggression and decrease empathy,” said Penniman.
Video games are not only negative, as some video games, specifically Active Video Games, have been shown to help students and improve mental health. “…there’s also video games called active video games that are therapeutic and they show that they can help manage symptoms of depression, anxiety, as well as ADHD,” said Penniman. Dr. Penniman also believes that video games can be used as a tool to help improve student motivation, focus and decrease stress in students at HBHS.
Screen time is also a factor in this. Screens tend to be overused and over-relied on nowadays, and this is shown just by the sheer amount of time we spend on chromebooks at school. “…just because I feel like there’s so much screen time already, between phones and chromebooks, to add another screen into the day, I would rather not see that for students,” said HBHS guidance counselor Kristen Knarr when asked if video games should be implemented into the school day.
Dr. Penniman, while believing that video games should be implemented into the day, said, “with moderation, I think. But I do, and I think the type of video game matters, as well.”
Some video games, especially popular ones, have recently been turned into movies. One of these movies, the Minecraft Movie, was corny, cheesy and goofy, but it was incredibly funny and enjoyable. Another movie I am looking forward to is the Bendy and the Ink Machine movie, which is currently in production.
In conclusion, video games can be good for a student’s mental health, but only if: 1)- used in moderation, 2)- playing the right kind of video game and 3)- being able to enjoy yourself while playing.
Video games are still new in comparison to everything else, and we’ve got to remember that, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t still have fun.
